[.ca] Pisces, Aquarius, ...

great 60's pop period:
So what this was a manufactred group this is a great pop album one of the finest of the 60's, from the psychedelia of "daily nightly" and one of the first synth experiments of "star collector" to the beatle -like pop of "pleasant valley sunday" this here is the way pop music is supposed to sound with great singing background vocals and first-rate studio playing by crack musicians. I love this album so much go and buy it now.

Who said they only made pop fluff?:
This is the only Monkees' album so far I've experienced which I didn't love instantly. It just seemed too mature and un-Monkeelike for me. I'll love them no matter what they do, but I was just so used to their happy upbeat pop, songs that brought back memories of watching the show, that I didn't know how to react to a record full of mature, introspective, even psychedelic songs. I liked "Words," "PVS," "Star Collector," and "Love Is Only Sleeping," but other than that I just didn't care for any of the other songs much the first time I played it. (I knew Mike's song "What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?" from its inclusion on the out-of-print rarities compilation 'Monkee Business,' but it wasn't one of my faves here.) I also was really disappointed in "She Hangs Out"; I still vastly prefer the faster and more uptempo version featured on 'Monkee Business.' After ignoring the album for awhile, I decided to play it a few times more to see if it might grow on me. The more I played it, the more I loved it and appreciated it. Even though I was no longer six years old, it just had felt weird listening to Monkees' songs that weren't pop fluff, in spite of the fact that I abhor most of the pop music of today. I was used to them in one specific way, and it was strange and kind of scary to experience something else. The songs on here range from psychedelic to pop to ballads to Mike's country and western style. It's aged very well for an album of this particular era, and if there still weren't such stigma and misinformation attached to The Monkees, it would probably be better-known and critically acclaimed today.

The Best of the Monkees:
Easily the finest of the Monkees albums, edging out "Headquarters" and the soundtrack to "Head." Mike Nesmith turns in some outstandingly beautiful tracks, including the haunting "Love Is Only Sleeping," and the gorgeous "The Door Into Summer." Micky Dolenz, owner of the world's 3rd Moog synthesizer, puts it to crazy use on the wickedly catchy "Star Collector." Micky and Peter Tork duet to great effect on the moody hit "Words," and Micky's harmonizing with Davy Jones on "Cuddly Toy" creates a bubbly pop confection. While true that "Salesman" seems too overt a ripoff of the Beatles' "Taxman," it's still a tight track, and "She Hangs Out" is glorious 60s grooviness. And who can argue that "Pleasant Valley Sunday" is not one of the finest pop classics ever recorded? The only downer on this album is the shlocky Davy number, "Hard To Believe," which sticks out the way Lawrence Welk would have stuck out onstage at a Jimi Hendrix concert.

Best Monkees LP:
If you have to buy one Monkees LP, get this (or Headquarters). 'What Am I Doing Hanging 'Round" and "Don't Call On Me" are two great songs, and Dolenz introduces the world to the moog symthesizer on "Daily Nightly". Great stuff.

A Fantastic Album:
Many people go for greatest hits and best of collections. If those albums don't give you enough of your Monkees fix then this album and Headquarters are the individual albums in their catalog that you should purchase. These albums are simply The Monkees at their artistic best. This album truly puts the songwriting talents of Michael Nesmith in the spotlight. For a surprisingly great collection of Monkees covers you should check out Papa Nez: A Loose Salute To The Work Of Michael Nesmith.

• Salesman
• She Hangs Out
• Door into Summer
• Love Is Only Sleeping
• Cuddly Toy
• Words
• Hard to Believe
• What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?
• Peter Percival Patterson's Pet Pig Porky
• Pleasant Valley Sunday
• Daily Nightly
• Don't Call on Me
• Star Collector
• Special Announcement \o#\c\o*\c
• Goin' Down \oAlternate Mix\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Salesman \oAlternate Mix\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Door into Summer \oAlternate Mix\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Love Is Only Sleeping \oAlternate Mix\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Daily Nightly \oAlternate Mix\c\o#\c\o*\c
• Star Collector \oAlternate Mix\c\o#\c\o*\c